The present invention relates to document copying devices and particularly to sheet-feeding mechanism for advancing, seriatim, the individual sheets from a stack of sheets to be copied.
The stack of sheets is placed on a holder, and the mechanism automatically feeds the bottom-most sheet onto the copier, on demand, as the copier operates.
In the past, sheet-feeding mechanisms have generally been large, bulky, and heavy, supported to one side of the copying surface on or adjacent the frame of the copier, with complicated drive-mechanism to interact between the sheet-feeder and the copier when the sheet-to-be-copied is advanced to the copy position of the copier.
Illustrative of the type of document feeders known in the past is that shown in FIG. 12 herein, as well as in my own U.S. patent application Ser. No. 559,081 filed Dec. 7, 1983 (now continuation-in-part application Ser. No. 755,682 filed July 16, 1985. See also British Pat. No. 922,780 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,881.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In the present invention, the document feeder is a compact, box-like unit which rests directly upon the glass plate copying surface of the copy machines. It can be used with copiers having a stationary copying surface or those having a reciprocating copying surface. It is to be understood that the copying machines, which may be well-known office copiers, facsimile, or electronic mail copiers, (as well as the copies which are made thereby), are not a part of this invention.
The document feeder has a cover which also functions as a tray-support for the documents to be copied. When the operator chooses to use the document feeder, the box is placed directly upon the glass plate of the copy machine and the cover is raised into an inclined support-position for the documents.
The set of documents to be copied is placed face-up on the inclined support with the first page on the top, and with the bottom (or last) page of the document, as it rests on the tray, coming into contact with a feed roller of the feeder.
Upon command, the feed roller rotates to remove the bottom sheet of the document from the tray support and (in cooperation with a drive-wheel) transfers it face-down onto the glass plate of the copier.
After the document has been copied, and while the copier is re-cycling, the drive wheel reverses direction, removes the document from the glass plate and transfers it face-up into a document-receiving tray.
During the next cycle, the drive wheel reverses and brings the next sheet from the stack of documents onto the glass plate, and the sequence is repeated.
After all the sheets have been copied, the documents may be removed from the receiving tray, the document support can be lowered to its position as a cover for the feeder, and the feeder may be removed from the copy machine.
The copier discharges the newly-made copy face-up into its copy-receiving tray and, therefore, the new set of copies are in order, when finished, with the top page on top.
Inasmuch as the newly-prepared copies, as well as the re-stacked set of copied documents are discharged from the copier face-up, all copies and documents are in proper sequence with the first page at the top of the stack and re-stacking is not required.
The document feeder of the present invention is lightweight, simple and uncomplicated and can be manufactured inexpensively and sold at a reasonable price. It can be used with a copier by an inexperienced operator and does not need a skilled service person for installation or operation.
The principle object of the present invention is to provide a document feeder which is small, compact, high-speed, easily transported, lightweight, and inexpensive.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a document feeder which can be used with any standard and well-known copy machine having either a stationary glass plate or a reciprocating glass plate.
Another object is to provide a low-cost feeder which can be easily connected to the copier so that the operation of the feeder may be automatically controlled from the control panel of the copier.
With the above and other objects in view, more information and a better understanding of the present invention may be achieved by reference to the following detailed description.